Jump to content
Sports Interactive Community

sjg11

Members+
 View Profile  See their activity

  • Posts

    771

  • Joined

  • Last visited

 Content Type 

Forums

Articles

FAQs

Online Manual

Support: Blocks

Support: Games

Bug Tracker

SIGames Manual (beta)

Profiles

Posts posted by sjg11

    Sjg's Euro 2020/21 Predictions Thread

    in Euro 2020/21 Forum

    Posted

    Croatia 0-1 England

    • The early kick-offs at major tournaments are rarely the best games at a tournament- the summer heat in the middle of the afternoon often serves to sap games of a level of intensity which other games in the tournament will have. This was definitely the case at Wembley today. 
    • That being said, I was pleased with England's start to the tournament. I can see the more negative sections of the English fanbase/media negatively comparing our opener with Italy and Belgium but Croatia are better than Russia and Turkey are and are not the type of side who usually get beaten 3 or 4-0. In fact, aside from a couple of Capello-era qualifiers, I struggle to think of Croatia ever really being thrashed at a major tournament. 
    • Broadly, when I judge an England performance, I look at the chances conceded versus the chances created. Overall, that balance was pretty significantly in England's favour today- Croatia created nothing all game and England created enough that I'm comfortable saying we deserved the win. It is easy to focus sometimes, as a fan, on good attacking play but defending is half the game and this was a very strong defensive performance by England. It was a pleasing start to the tournament and it definitely provides us with a good base to build on moving forward. And it allows us to beat the side who knocked us out in 2018 which is always a positive way to start the next tournament!
    • From a tactical point of view, I don't really get the decision to play Trippier at left-back. Playing Trippier over Walker is definitely a reasonable decision for Southgate to make, particularly given the lack of another great set-piece taker in the side. But Shaw or Chilwell should be starting at left-back in this tournament- both of them are entering into the tournament in good form and if you have two good left-backs then there's no need to stick a right-back out there. 
    • Other than that I was content with the line-up. It's not my dream England team but I think the side worked pretty well overall. I think some of the criticism of the selection (other than the Trippier point) was a little bit harsh. 
    • Also nice to see Sterling and Phillips proving people wrong. They are two players who definitely have a lot to contribute on the field for England and some of the pre-tournament criticism of the two of them has been a little bit overblown. I'm not sure they should be guaranteed to make the starting line-up but they're both reasonable selections by Southgate, as shown by the goal today and Phillips' general performance in the midfield. 
    • Croatia looked like a good side but there seemed to be a big Mario Mandzukic-shaped hole at the centre of their attack. Kramaric is a good attacking player but he just doesn't have the same presence that Mandzukic has in the final third. Leading to a lot of neat technical play without much end product and a very comfortable evening for Jordan Pickford. Croatia need to tweak things before the Czech game. 

    Austria 3-1 North Macedonia

    • This was a surprisingly entertaining game- both sides really wanted the three points here and really went for each other. It was nice to see and this tournament is certainly proving to be less cagey than 2016 was so far (although tbf there is a reason why 2016 is the worst international tournament I have ever seen). There's still some way to go before 2020/1 becomes a classic tournament but it's starting to warm up nicely a couple of days into the tournament. 
    • Austria deserved the three points here, they created enough to win the game and the Macedonian goal was a bit flukey after a horrific error by Daniel Bachmann. They looked like a decent side without really doing anything to convince me that they are going to have a serious impact on the tournament. 
    • That being said, and I know he's being pretty heavily criticised in Austria, but credit to Franco Foda for making a subtle tactical tweak which allowed Austria to win the game. Alaba really wasn't impacting the game from the centre of the back three so swapping him and Hinteregger (moving Alaba to LCB) allowed him to start bombing forward as an overlapping CB while linking up nicely with Ulmer and Sabitzer. Given that the second Austrian goal came from a great Alaba cross, I would like to see them start with that system in future games. Particularly with Sasa Kalajdzic in the box to feed off that type of service. It could lead to an Austrian side which starts to look like a more serious force in this competition. Hinteregger is a solid defender who should be more than capable of covering for Alaba if he moves forward and I think it's a bit of a waste of Alaba's talent to have him as your most defensive outfield player. He can probably influence the game more if he's moving higher up the pitch. 
    • North Macedonia played well enough for their first game at a major tournament. They have some decent players (Alioski, Elmas, the evergreen Goran Pandev etc) but are a step or two below the level of quality that is really required at a major tournament. Still, it's nice to see Pandev scoring at a major tournament given that he is one of those players who seems to have been around for ever at this point. I don't think they're ready to progress in this tournament but it will be a good experience for them moving forward and they're not completely outclassed at this level. 

    Holland 3-2 Ukraine

    • I feel for poor old Mykolenko (the Ukrainian LB)- Denzel Dumfries absolutely destroyed him tonight and he had an absolutely awful night at LB. There is nothing worse than producing a performance like that at a major tournament. I wonder if Zubkov might have been able to protect him more effectively, Marlos did not sense the danger that Dumfries was posing at all either (which was presumably he was subbed back off again after replacing Zubkov). Bushchan also had a bit of a shocker for the third goal. 
    • The Dutch looked like a side with a lot of individual talent but they don't look particularly well-coached. There is a vulnerability in this Dutch side which Ukraine were able to exploit a couple of times tonight. One of the better sides in this tournament could easily punish Holland quite heavily if they repeat some of the basic errors they made at times tonight. 
    • Frenkie De Jong had an excellent game in the midfield tonight- if it weren't for Dumfries traumatising Mykolenko he would easily have earned MOTM. It was a complete midfield performance- he was excellent both with and without the ball tonight. If there is a big hope for this Dutch side it's having such a classy performer in the centre of the park. 
    • The Dutch definitely have a defensive weakness, De Vrij is a good defender but Yarmolenko had a lot of fun in the space behind Van Aanholt/Wijndal and Daley Blind didn't do a brilliant job of stopping him. There is a potential vulnerability down the left-side of the Dutch defence I think. I would also be interested to see what happens if more pressure is put on Timber by another side- he was protected by Dumfries having his way with the Ukrainian left-flank tonight and that won't be the case in the future. If Alaba is allowed to roam from LCB in their next match that could test the Dutch right-flank a bit and I'll probably learn more about them from that. 
    • Ukraine also have defensive vulnerabilities- this is a young and inexperienced defence and it showed tonight. The three goals they conceded were a catalogue of basic errors which you cannot make at a major tournament. Mykolenko in particular had an awful night and Bushchan had a mixed evening (a couple of great saves mixed with a couple of pretty bad mistakes). Ukraine's defence will cost them in this tournament at some point. They also need to try to get Malinovskyi and Zinchenko into more dangerous areas more consistently in the future. 
    • Still, there were plenty of bright spots in the Ukrainian performance. They had a real counter-attacking threat all match and Yarmolenko and Yaremchuk were both excellent and were a real handful for the Dutch defence. If he's in the mood, Yarmolenko is a really classy performer and the Ukrainians more than contributed to a brilliant game of football. Both sides should be able to navigate a path through to the last-16 but I worry about both sides in the knockout stages. 
    0

    Sjg's Euro 2020/21 Predictions Thread

    in Euro 2020/21 Forum

    Posted

    Denmark 0-1 Finland

    • I don't want to talk about this one too much beyond wishing Christian Eriksen well and noting the brilliant response of the medical staff, officials and the Danish players. This game really should not have been restarted today for the sake of protecting the Danish players. 
    • Credit to Finland for winning their first ever game at a major tournament. 

    Switzerland 1-1 Wales

    • I'll admit that things are starting to fall into place for Wales- Turkey started poorly and they got a decent point against the Swiss in Baku today. They may yet be able to prove me wrong and find a route through to the knockout stages. 
    • Danny Ward was excellent for Wales today- Switzerland really should have scored more than once but for a strong goalkeeping performance. Dan James was a threat down the left flank for much of the afternoon and Kieffer Moore took his chance in the second-half when it came. 
    • That being said, Wales were definitely the weaker of the two sides on the basis of this performance. Morrell and Allen really struggled to assert themselves in any meaningful way allowing the Swiss to apply consistent pressure to the Welsh backline when they were in possession. Wales' only alternative outlet often seemed to be a long ball to Kieffer Moore who was then forced to battle gamely against the three Swiss defenders (who generally marshalled Moore pretty effectively throughout the 90 minutes) and they really struggled to do much offensively, particularly in the opening-half where the Swiss really should have been 1-0 up at the interval. 
    • Switzerland will be kicking themselves, they should have won this match. They weren't clinical enough in the final-half despite a strong performance from Breel Embolo. Haris Seferovic in particular was wasteful and (aside from some excellent set-pieces) Shaqiri was largely anonymous. 
    • Once they did take the lead they then took their foot off the pedal. I question Petkovic's in-game management, I think bringing Zakaria on was sensible (Zakaria was a good player to add fresh legs to the engine room) but maybe they needed to replace Shaqiri with another attacking player rather than Zakaria in order to maintain their forward momentum. They allowed Wales to build a little bit of pressure and they were punished for it and I can't help but think that if the Swiss had just kept trying to keep possession and break down the Welsh defence they probably would have got a second goal relatively quickly after Embolo's opener. 
    • Both sides remain very much alive in the competition and will be looking to their game with Turkey to put some more points on the board and to hopefully seal a place in the last-16. 

    Belgium 3-0 Russia

    • I've said for a while that I think Russia are a very average side and Belgium did an excellent job of proving me right tonight. Lukaku in particular was excellent, gobbling up the two chances that came his way when he was able to run into the space behind Semenov in the Russian defence. 
    • Russia's defensive players look pretty poor and Shunin really doesn't convince in goal- his error led to the Meunier goal and he was caught flat-footed for the third goal as well. 
    • Russia also don't look particularly well-coached. Beyond long-balls to Artem Dzyuba and set-pieces I'm not sure what the main offensive strategy was for the Russians. Too often Russian forward players would try to engage in a press and the midfield and defence wouldn't push up to constrict the space and help to make the press effective. Given the slowness of the Russian defence and given that they were up against Lukaku, dropping deep wasn't a terrible idea but if you're going to drop deep and stay compact you need the entire side to be doing it (see Finland earlier) not just your defensive players. Otherwise it becomes too easy for Belgium's offensive players to find space and start causing havoc. 
    • Belgium largely just got the job done- it was impressive to see that their offensive unit was still firing very effectively even with an injured De Bruyne and an out-of-form E Hazard. 
    • That being said, the Vertonghen injury would worry me if I were Belgium. Thomas Vermaelen is a shadow of the defender he once was and Boyata is a liability. The Belgian backline does look shaky and the better offences in the tournament could definitely exploit that weakness later in the tournament. 
    • Lukaku is an excellent striker who was unfairly criticised during his time in English football. He has also been a very good goalscorer and is capable of bullying defenders in a way that many strikers simply aren't capable of. 
    0

    Sjg's Euro 2020/21 Predictions Thread

    in Euro 2020/21 Forum

    Posted

    Italy 3-0 Turkey

    • For the first time in a while I think Wales might actually have a reasonable shot at finishing third in the group. It's difficult to fully assess one game in isolation (and an excellent Italy performance is an important factor in judging this one) but Turkey were pretty awful. Yilmaz was completely smothered by Bonucci and Chiellini and the Turks never looked like they were capable of successfully breaking through the Italian press. 
    • Defensively, Turkey were ok in the first-half but the lack of presence in midfield meant their defence were far too deep with no effective outlet to push the Italians back and cause them problems. In such circumstances it was inevitable that the Italians would eventually break through which they did after some tired Turkish defending led to a Demiral own-goal. 
    • Once Turkey fell behind their response was extremely tired and they fell to pieces defensively, allowing the Italians to pick them off at will with further goals from Ciro Immobile and Lorenzo Insigne. 
    • Italy were excellent. Their pressing was brilliant and you can clearly see the impact that a top coach like Roberto Mancini has had on this Italian squad. Italy look focused with a clear idea of their system and style of play. Turkey never even looked like seriously troubling Donnarumma and the Italians swarmed around a weak Turkish midfield. 
    • Insigne and Spinazzola were excellent in the second-half in particular. If Insigne can maintain the form he showed in the opener throughout the tournament then he could be the high-class attacking player that may allow the Italians to unlock a tight game in the knockout stages against the tournament's better sides. For years Insigne has never quite found his form in the shirt of the Azzurri so it is refreshing to see that changing. 
    • I'm interested to see how a more functional offence could cause problems for Bonucci and Chiellini. If there is a weakpoint for the Italians, given their style of play, that could be it. 
    0

    Sjg's Euro 2020/21 Predictions Thread

    in Euro 2020/21 Forum

    Posted

    50 minutes ago, GunmaN1905 said:

    I'd go with Ukraine win over Holland and I can see Macedonia getting a draw, others are more or less spot on.

    Ukraine-Holland... was a difficult one to predict. On paper, even without van Dijk, there is a lot of talent in the Dutch squad. But I have no faith in De Boer to bring anything out of them. So... I could see Ukraine winning because Holland are a disorganised mess. I could see Holland winning on a couple of moments of individual quality. Overall, I felt it was pretty evenly matched. 

    I can see Macedonia getting a draw but if you played that game 10 times I think an Austria win would just about be the most likely outcome. 

    0

    Sjg's Euro 2020/21 Predictions Thread

    in Euro 2020/21 Forum

    Posted

    Sjg's predictions- Euro 2020/1- Round One

    Turkey vs Italy- Rome

    This is a tough opener and it will prove to a decent test of the Italians' early credentials to challenge for the tournament. Turkey have recently shown an ability to pick up good results against Europe's traditional heavyweights and they are more than capable of getting a result in Rome. From my perspective, the main test here will be how the Italian forwards penetrate a disciplined Turkish defence. Chiesa, Immobile and Insigne are all good players but none of them are truly top-drawer and the Turks are capable of frustrating Italy. Soyuncu and Merih Demiral are a good CB pairing for Turkey. 

    Overall, I think home advantage makes me conclude that the Italians will eke out a narrow win here but I would not be surprised if Turkey manage to get a draw. I expect a low-scoring game.

    Prediction: Narrow Italy win

    Wales vs Switzerland- Baku

    Wales really don't impress me at the moment- I think they're an average side whose best players' best days are in the past with a significant amount of off-field turbulence. A year ago Wales might have been able to provide a more effective obstacle for the other three sides in the group but I don't have a lot of faith in them here. Switzerland are one of the most reliably decent yet unspectacular sides in Europe and this is the type of game which, historically, they tend to win pretty comfortably without ever excelling. 

    Prediction: Switzerland win

    Denmark vs Finland- Copenhagen

    The Danes are a strong side with a good record in recent international fixtures. Finland are novices at this level despite an excellent qualifying campaign. Finland are by no means no-hopers... but the key game for them will be the game against Russia in Saint-Petersburg. I can't see them stopping Denmark in the opener. 

    Prediction: Denmark win

    Belgium vs Russia- Saint-Petersburg

    These two sides met in qualifying and Belgium won both games with considerable ease. De Bruyne's fitness may stall Belgium slightly but they should still have too much for an average Russian side who will do well to reach the second round. 

    Prediction: Belgium win

    Austria- North Macedonia- Bucharest

    I think there is a decent chance that, in one of their three games, the Macedonians will get a result against someone. There is a reasonable chance that this will happen against the Austrians... but Austria are a solid side with a few good players. I think, on balance, I have to predict an Austrian victory. They should prove to be too much for an awkward Macedonia side. 

    Prediction: Austria win

    Holland- Ukraine- Amsterdam

    I really don't rate Holland under Frank De Boer. I think this is a weak group and I think they will get through it but I think they're vulnerable to a couple of bad results/performances while doing so. Ukraine were good enough to finish ahead of Portugal and Serbia in the qualifiers and have a few decent players. I think I might go for a tepid draw here. 

    Prediction: Draw

    England vs Croatia- London

    If this game was on neutral soil in a tournament opener I would probably have predicted a reasonably entertaining and engaging draw. This is a strong England side though and, frankly, England's record at Wembley is very solid. I think these factors probably give England a significant edge though. This game is similar to the Turkey-Italy game for me (not in terms of the game's style- I expect this one to be significantly more entertaining- more in the sense of a good contender for the tournament facing solid opposition in their first match where home advantage probably gives them the edge)

    Prediction: England win

    Scotland vs Czech Republic- Glasgow

    It's a real shame that Scotland's first appearance at a major tournament for 23 years will not be greeted by the full Hampden roar. It's probably a good thing if you're Czech though, as I reckon an improving Czech side are capable of getting a result from an empty Glasgow. These two sides look pretty evenly matched- I would maybe give the Czechs the edge on paper but home advantage does still give Scotland a small boost. I think a draw is the likely outcome. 

    Prediction: Draw

    Poland vs Slovakia- Saint Petersburg

    Poland are a good side. Slovakia do not inspire me at all. Poland win. Hopefully Lewandowski will be able to get his tournament going with a couple of goals here. 

    Prediction: Poland win

    Spain vs Sweden- Seville

    Spain are a decent side with a decent coach but I don't think Sweden are a good opener for them. Where Spain struggle it tends to be with penetrating a deep, well-organised defensive block. Sweden historically are very capable of frustrating sides with bigger reputations in a deep, well-organised defensive block. A draw here I think. 

    Prediction: Draw

    Hungary vs Portugal- Budapest

    Poor Hungary. No side in football history has ever had a tougher first round draw than they have here. Portugal to win. It's fortunate that Portugal start with the Hungarians, if they do their job and get the win in Budapest it takes a significant amount of pressure off of them before their games against France and Germany. 

    Prediction: Portugal win

    France vs Germany- Munich

    Germany are, in my view, the weakest of the three big sides in this group. But they do have home advantage. However, the German defence has been leaking goals for a number of years now and, if a side are built to exploit that while finding a way to limit Germany's offensive talent, it's France. 

    Prediction: France win

    1

    EURO 2020(1?) Football forum average draft - Group H

    in Euro 2020/21 Forum

    Posted

    My defence and GK are excellent with Tardelli and Coluna forming a solid spine in front of them. 
     

    Albert was a top-notch creator, Mandzukic is a strong finisher while my wingers are both capable on the counter-attack (particularly McClair, part of the first great Fergie side). Most importantly, my side are well-balanced, the system works and the defence is rock-solid

    2

    EURO 2020(1?) football forum average draft

    in Euro 2020/21 Forum

    Posted

    1 hour ago, GunmaN1905 said:

    I'd say Ramos and his transition would be a good comparison.

    At first he was the right defender in 3 man defenses, as back fours were rare in those days. And there were no fullbacks as we know them today.

     

    There were full-backs in the more modern sense around in the olden days, or at least players who performed a similar role (there is an Italian LB I could name but won't for player naming reasons whose role would be pretty similar to modern audiences). 

    But catenaccio, and the variants there of, was a slightly odd system which operated asymetrically. The LB would operate similar to a modern full-back or a LWB while the RB would tuck inside to become a third CB most of the time, with sides playing the system often having a RW to provide width on the right while often not playing anyone in front of the LB on the left, instead using the role either to add in an extra striker or an additional midfielder. So, under traditional catenaccio, full-backs were a thing... but only one flank (usually on the left whenever I've seen a side playing catenaccio or a variant of it). 

    0

    EURO 2020(1?) football forum average draft

    in Euro 2020/21 Forum

    Posted

    25 minutes ago, Yuko said:

    True, but limited name value unfortunately. 

     

    I do wonder who you'd have picked with your first rounder if you were around though. Rest of the team could have looked far better. 

    Platini is the player I would have gone for. Adhikapp could have ended up in a far worse position if I had realised when we started. 

    0
×
×
  • Create New...